Category Archives: Diocesan News

‘Leave a Legacy’ of faith and stewardship

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By Staff Reports
JACKSON – As Catholics across the country observe Leave a Legacy Month in May, the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Jackson is encouraging families to take an important step in planning for the future while also considering how their faith can continue to make an impact for generations.

Most Catholics intend to create a will, but many delay the process, according to Rebecca Harris, executive director of the Catholic Foundation.

“Creating a will is one of the simplest and most important ways to care for your loved ones,” Harris said. “It ensures that your wishes are clearly known and provides peace of mind for your family.”

The Catholic Foundation has partnered MyCatholicWill.com to provide Catholics in the Diocese of Jackson with access to a free online platform that allows users to create a simple and legally valid will in about 20 minutes.

Harris said the process is not only about financial planning, but also about faith and stewardship.
“Planned giving is not only about finances. It is about faith,” Harris said. “It is a way to continue living out the Gospel values of generosity and stewardship for generations to come.”

The Foundation is also encouraging Catholics to consider including charitable giving in their estate plans. Through a will, individuals can establish a perpetual trust or named endowment through the Catholic Foundation to support a parish, school or diocesan ministry long into the future.

“These funds are invested and a portion is distributed each year, providing ongoing support for the ministries that matter most to you,” Harris said.

The Foundation noted that gifts of any size can help sustain ministries such as Catholic education, vocations, youth ministry and parish outreach efforts.

In addition to the free will resource, the Foundation has released a short video about the importance of leaving a legacy of faith. The video can be viewed on the Diocese of Jackson’s YouTube channel or by scanning the QR code provided.

“Your family deserves clarity. Your faith can leave a lasting mark,” Harris said. “This May, consider making your will and your legacy a reflection of both.”

(Questions? Email rebecca.harris@jacksondiocese.org)

Calendar of Events

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SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
GRENADA – St. Peter, Teatime with Mother Mary, Sunday, May 31 at 3 p.m. All girls, young and old, mothers, daughters, single women are invited to attend including non-practicing Catholics, friends of parishioners, etc. Details: contact Cecilia at (662) 688-3024.

OXFORD – St. John the Evangelist, Catechist Workshop, Saturday, Aug. 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with speaker, Dr. Tom Neal. Details: register at https://bit.ly/oxford-catechist-event-26.

PILGRMAGE – Travel with Father Carlisle Beggerly to Italy/Greece, Oct. 7-20, 2026. Cost: $5,999 per person. Details: Contact Proximo Travel (855-842-8001) or visit proximotravel.com (enter Fr. Carlisle in search box).
Travel with Father Raju Macherla to Portugal, Spain and France, July 6-17, 2026. Cost: $5,500 per person (sharing room), with departure from Memphis. Details: visit https://bit.ly/4efWoql.

MADISON – Millions of Monicas will transition from St. Joseph Church to praying at St. Catherine’s Village chapel. Meetings will now take place on the second Tuesday of each month, with the first gathering scheduled for May 12. Please note that our meeting time will change to 6 p.m. The Chapel is located at 200 Dominican Drive, Madison. When you arrive at the gate, let the team know you are joining the Millions of Monicas ministry, and you will be directed to the chapel. After entering through the roundabout, the chapel will be on your left. Please, mark your calendars for the following meeting dates: May 12, June 9, July 14, Aug. 11, Sept. 8, Oct. 13, Nov. 10 and Dec. 8, 2026. Details: call (601) 613-8526.

YOUNG ADULTS – Young adults are invited to join the Archdiocese of New Orleans on a Pilgrimage to Seoul, South Korea, August 1-10, 2027. Details: contact James Behan at (504) 836-0551 ext. 3228 or email: yam@arch-no.org.

PARISH & YOUTH EVENTS
CLINTON – Holy Savior, Baby Bottle Drive, Get a bottle, fill it with coins, cash, or a check, and return it in the coming weeks. Every donation will help support pro-life ministries and life-affirming services for mothers, babies, and families in our community. Volunteers are needed to distribute and collect bottles. Details: call Chris at (601) 757-9910.

JACKSON – Holy Family, Pentecost Cultural Diversity Picnic, on Saturday, May 23, from 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear red, bring tents and lawn chairs. Personal fans are also recommended.  Music and games will be provided. Details: call Joyce at (601) 214-6123.

VBS
GLUCKSTADT – St. Joseph, Vacation Bible School, Monday, June 22 through Friday, June 26, 2026, from 5:15 to 8 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Dinner and games are from 5:15-6 p.m. Open to all children entering K-6th grade, Cost: $15 per child/$30 Max per family. Details: https://giving.parishsoft.com/app/stjosephgluckstadt and select one-time donation and then VBS to make your payment.

STARKVILLE – St. Joseph, Vacation Bible School, Calling all 4 year olds through fourth graders – Save the date: June 1-4, 2026.

HOLLY SPRINGS – St. Joseph, Vacation Bible School, June 16–18, 2026. Details: call Teri (Teresa) Mason at (815) 729-4219.

DIOCESE EVENTS
ENGAGED ENCOUNTER 2026, Aug. 28-30; and Oct. 2-4. Details: couples may register at https://jacksondiocese.flocknote.com/signup/230073 or email debbie.tubertini@jacksondiocese.org.

PERMANENT DIACONATE ORDINATION: Six men will be ordained to the Permanent Diaconate on Saturday, July 18 at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Jackson. Blessings to Enrique Amador, Donald Clinton Coker, Jeff Cook, Pablo Garcia, Christopher Halliwell, William Griffith Vautrot, and Hunter Yentzen.

PASTORAL MINISTRIES WORKSHOP, July 31 through Aug. 2 at Eagle Ridge Conference Center in Raymond. Cost is $300, which includes room, meals, and course materials. (Commuter rate: $125) Registration deadline is July 10. Register at https://bit.ly/pmw2026. Details: fran.lavelle@jacksondiocese.org.

Diocese explores future campaign through feasibility study

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By Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – The Diocese of Jackson has entered an important period of listening and discernment as it explores the possibility of a future diocesan-wide capital campaign. This effort, known as a feasibility study, is being led by the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Jackson and is designed to gather input from clergy, parish leaders and parishioners across the diocese.

A feasibility study is a critical first step in determining whether a campaign is both needed and achievable. It allows diocesan leadership to better understand the needs, hopes and priorities of the faithful before making any decisions. Rather than beginning with assumptions, the diocese is committed to ensuring that any future campaign reflects the real needs of parishes, ministries and the broader Church.

“This is first and foremost a listening process,” said Rebecca Harris, executive director of the Catholic Foundation. “We want to hear what matters most to our parishioners and how we can best support the mission entrusted to us as a diocese.”

Bishop Joseph Kopacz also emphasized the importance of participation in a recent letter to parishioners: “I write to you with gratitude and hope as our diocese enters a time of prayerful listening and discernment … Your voice is essential in this process.” His invitation underscores the central goal of the study which is to ensure that every voice has the opportunity to be heard.

The feasibility study will explore several key areas, including support for parish needs, a retired priest endowment, parish endowments, and the Bishop Houck Lay Leader Center endowment. Another component of the campaign being tested is seminarian education. As the diocese continues to experience growth in vocations, the financial commitment required to educate and form future priests has also increased.

“As we look to the future, investing in seminarian education is essential to the life of our Church,” Harris said. “We are seeing great momentum in vocations, and we must ensure we have the resources to support these men as they prepare for the priesthood.”

Participation from across the diocese is essential to the success of this effort. Feedback gathered during this phase will help determine not only whether to move forward with a capital campaign, but also what priorities it should include if it proceeds.

As part of the process, parishioners should have received a Flocknote message inviting them to complete a brief survey. This survey is one of the primary tools being used to collect input from parishioners around the diocese. All parishioners are encouraged to take a few minutes to share their thoughts.

You can access the survey here: https://bit.ly/jacksondiocesestudy

Results of the feasibility study are expected in mid-May and will guide diocesan leadership in determining next steps.

“This is a moment of opportunity for our diocese,” Harris added. “By listening carefully and planning responsibly, we can ensure that any future campaign strengthens our parishes, forms future priests, and supports the mission of the Church for generations to come.”

All are invited to participate and to keep this effort in prayer as the Diocese seeks to follow God’s guidance in the months ahead.

Happy Ordination Anniversary

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April 6
Father Joseph Golamari

April 10
Father Pradeep Kumar Thirumalareddy

April 12
Father Raju Macherla and Father Sleeva Reddy Mekala

April 14
Father Suresh Reddy Thirumalareddy

April 18
Father Vijaya Manohar Reddy Thanugundla

April 19
Father Sebastian Myladiyil, SVD and Father Joseph Ashok Thumma

April 26
Father Jesuraj Xavier

May 7
Bishop Joseph Kopacz (ordained priest)

May 11
Father Mark Shoffner and Father Adolfo Suarez Pasillas

From Mississippi to Rome: Sister Thea Bowman’s cause progresses

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ROME – Boxes containing the collected works and testimonies for the cause of Sister Thea Bowman are opened at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints on March 18.

On March 18, the Diocese of Jackson received confirmation that Sister Thea’s boxes had arrived at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints and were officially opened by dicastery officials as part of a studium (class) teaching canon law students about the canonization process. Sister Thea is still teaching even in death.

Normally, it takes several months after arrival for the boxes to be scheduled for an official opening, but Sister Thea’s boxes arrived and two weeks later they are open.

The next step is to receive a decree of validity from the dicastery, which verifies that all the documents are in order and the process has been followed. Once this decree is received by our postulator, Emanuele Spedicato, the hard work of writing the “positio” or position paper will begin in earnest.

Keep the prayers coming!

Meet the artist behind the 47 paintings supporting Sister Thea Bowman’s cause for canonization

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Brother Mickey McGrath, OSFS, with the boxes containing his paintings of Sister Thea Bowman, which were sent to Rome to support her cause for canonization. Below is a a sketch he completed during the Mass for Sister Thea’s cause for canonization at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Jackson on Feb. 9, 2026. (Photos courtesy of Brother Mickey McGrath)

By Francesca Pollio Fenton
(EWTN News) – Nearly 30 years ago, Brother Mickey McGrath, OSFS, an award-winning artist, found himself in a hospital room as his father battled colon cancer. One afternoon he came across a magazine and in it was the last interview with Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman – an African American woman who challenged the Church in the 20th century to confront its history of racial exclusion and to embrace Black Catholics through her work as a scholar, teacher and speaker.

“I had never heard of the woman in my life, but I read this article right there on the spot and I thought, ‘Wow, she was something. How did I miss her all this time,’” McGrath told EWTN News.

“Music was at the very heart of her whole ministry,” he added. “And so, that struck me too as an artist, that she was using her artistic gifts to advance her spirit.”

One year later, McGrath welcomed a couple of brothers into his home who were preparing to take their final vows. Together they watched a video on Bowman that left him “energized and inspired.”

“The next morning, I got up and started painting and I didn’t stop for two weeks,” he said. “And in two weeks’ time I had nine paintings in a style very different from anything I had ever done before … It was like I was touching things that were already deep in me, you know, spiritually, but I didn’t have access to.”
Now McGrath has 47 paintings inspired by Bowman that have been packaged into boxes and sent to Rome for review to advance her cause for canonization.

The diocesan phase of Bowman’s cause for canonization was officially closed by the Diocese of Jackson, on Feb. 9. McGrath attended the Mass for this occasion, which was celebrated by Bishop Joseph Kopacz and held in the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson.
He called it a “truly wonderful event.”

Reflecting on his paintings, McGrath said one stands out among the rest: a painting titled “This Little Light of Mine.” A painting from his first nine paintings inspired by Bowman – which he calls “the spirituals” – this painting depicts Bowman in a green habit holding a monstrance up in the air. He explained that it connects the classic song with “the light of Christ.”

McGrath shared that Bowman continues to provide Catholics with an important message today: “We’re all made in the image and likeness of God, and that’s got to be preeminent.”

Bowman, born in 1937, was a trailblazing Catholic sister, educator, and evangelist. A member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, she converted to Catholicism as a child and later became one of the most compelling advocates for Black Catholic spirituality in the United States.

With a gift for storytelling, Bowman traveled the country speaking, singing, and teaching – urging the Church to embrace the cultural gifts of African American Catholics.

In 1989, despite battling cancer, Bowman addressed the U.S. bishops with a now-famous speech that blended gospel song, humor and a prophetic call for unity. Her witness left a lasting impression, and in 2018 her cause for canonization was formally opened by the Diocese of Jackson, giving her the title “servant of God.”

(This article is reprinted with permission from EWTN News. Visit bromickeymcgrath.com for more on the artwork of Brother Mickey McGrath.)

Calendar of Events

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SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
DIOCESE – Engaged Encounter 2026: May 1-3; Aug. 28-30; Oct. 2-4. Details: couples may register at https://jacksondiocese.flocknote.com/signup/230073 or email debbie.tubertini@jacksondiocese.org.

GREENWOOD – Locus Benedictus, Inner Healing Retreat, April 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Details: (662) 299-1232.

HOLLY SPRINGS – Catholic Parishes of Northwest MS, Ladies Group Retreat, Saturday, April 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Gregory House, with a talk by Sisters Leonora and Susan. Sign up by April 19. Details: church office (662) 342-1073.

PILGRMAGE – Travel with Father Carlisle Beggerly to Italy/Greece, Oct. 7-20, 2026. Cost: $5,999 per person. Details: Contact Proximo Travel (855-842-8001) or visit proximotravel.com (enter Fr. Carlisle in search box).

Travel with Father Raju Macherla to Portugal, Spain and France, July 6-17, 2026. Cost: $5,500 per person (sharing room), with departure from Memphis. Details: visit https://bit.ly/4efWoql.

PARISH & YOUTH EVENTS
FLOWOOD – St. Paul, Calling all Catholic Homeschoolers! We are forming a Catholic Homeschool co-op, join us for Mass and an interest meeting, Friday, May 1 at 10 a.m. Bring lunch for your family for a picnic following Mass. Details: lumenmundihs@gmail.com.

GREENWOOD – Immaculate Heart of Mary, CYO Bingo Night Fundraiser, Wednesday, April 22, in the parish center. Games at 6 p.m., doors open at 5:30 p.m. Cost: $40 at the door for one card for all 10 games. $5 burger meals available. Details: office (662) 453-3980.

HERNANDO – Holy Spirit, Annual Yard Sale, Friday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, April 25 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Details: Tena at (901) 598-7927.

JACKSON – St. Richard, Special Kids Art Show, Thursday, April 23 from 6-7:30 p.m. in Foley Hall. Details: call (601) 366-2335.

MADISON – St. Francis, Luella and Floyd Q. Doolittle Golf Tournament, Friday, May 8 at Whisper Lake Country Club. Fun costests begin at noon and a shotgun start at 1 p.m. An awards presentation and a home-cooked meal by KC 9543 will take place in the clubhouse after all participants have cleared the course. Details: Tunney at (601) 622-4145 or tunneyv1@icloud.com.

St. Francis of Assisi, Cajun Fest, Sunday, May 17 from 12-4 p.m. Details: church office (601) 856-5556.

CORRECTION
Lewis and Dinah Slay of Sacred Heart parish in Greenville are recipients of the Bishop Chanche Medal for Service this year. The couple were inadvertently left off the list in the last edition of Mississippi Catholic. We apologize for the error.

Parishioners honored for service to the Church with Bishop Chanche Medals

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JACKSON – When Bishop John Joseph Chanche arrived in the newly formed Diocese of Natchez in May of 1841, there were no Catholic Churches, only a couple of missionary priests, and his flock was far flung. He rose to the challenge and laid the foundation for the Diocese of Jackson. The diocese honors his legacy and thanks those who continue to build on his foundation with the Bishop Chanche medal for service.

(View photos from Bishop Chanche Medals at https://jacksondiocese.zenfoliosite.com.)

Fatherhood comes first as Mario Villasenor of St. Therese Parish in Jackson cares for his baby during Mass.
Jose Varela of St. Jude Parish in Pearl is pinned with the Bishop Chanche Medal for service.
Elizabeth Liddell of Holy Ghost Parish in Jackson prays during the Bishop Chanche Medal Mass.
Liz Edmondson of St. Michael Forest poses for a photo with Bishop Joseph Kopacz after receiving the Bishop Chanche Medal for service to the Church.
Honorees stand during the Bishop Chanche Medal ceremony recognizing their service to the Church. (Photos by Joanna King)

Jackson Diocese celebrates love

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JACKSON – The Diocese of Jackson joyfully honored the anniversaries of married couples from across the diocese with two special Masses, celebrated by Bishop Joseph Kopacz. The first Mass took place on Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson, followed by a second celebration on Saturday, Feb. 14, at St. James in Tupelo. These gatherings brought together couples of all ages to celebrate the sacred bond of marriage and their commitment to one another through the years.

During the World Marriage Day celebrations, couples were honored with a special anniversary certificate, blessed and signed by Bishop Kopacz. These certificates serve as a meaningful keepsake, commemorating their years of love, commitment and faith.

The ceremonies also provided an opportunity for couples to renew their vows in the presence of family, friends and fellow parishioners, reaffirming their dedication to one another and to God.

The diocese extends heartfelt congratulations to all the couples who participated in this year’s celebrations. Whether newlyweds or those marking decades of marriage, each couple serves as a witness to the enduring power of love and the grace of the sacrament of matrimony.

Please join us in celebrating and praying for these special couples, that their love may continue to grow and inspire others for years to come.

(View photos from World Marriage Day at https://jacksondiocese.zenfoliosite.com.)

JACKSON – Couples, including Pham Nguyen and Bach Tuyet of St. Richard Parish, renew their marriage vows during the World Marriage Day celebration Feb. 7 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. The Mayos celebrated 35 years of marriage and Nguyen and Tuyet 38 years. (Photos by Tereza Ma)
Will and Sallie Ann Inman of St. Francis Parish in Madison pose with Bishop Joseph Kopacz after the World Marriage Day celebration Feb. 7 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. The couple is celebrating 35 years of marriage.